Comments on: Using FreshBooks for your web application’s billing http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/ A blog about our thoughts on entrepreneurship, teamwork, our services, the Web and anything we find interesting. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:26:59 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Gliffy - Gliffy Blog - Blog Archive - Save time with automated invoicing http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-64379 Gliffy - Gliffy Blog - Blog Archive - Save time with automated invoicing Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:50:59 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/?p=1600#comment-64379 [...] us from other tasks that need doing too. One way we’ve saved a bunch of time is by using Freshbooks for [...] [...] us from other tasks that need doing too. One way we’ve saved a bunch of time is by using Freshbooks for [...]

]]> By: TomCapone http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-64347 TomCapone Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:21:32 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/?p=1600#comment-64347 Chris, we have been selling cellular since 1983, when the NYNEX system first went live. I would like to learn more about what you have done with FreshBooks, and what's next. We are trying to do something similar, with our audio conferenicng services. It looks like you are really onto something here. ~Tom Chris, we have been selling cellular since 1983, when the NYNEX system first went live. I would like to learn more about what you have done with FreshBooks, and what’s next. We are trying to do something similar, with our audio conferenicng services. It looks like you are really onto something here. ~Tom

]]> By: Anthony Angell http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-63228 Anthony Angell Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:13:51 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/?p=1600#comment-63228 Mark: Not only would it be "interesting", it would ROCK! We are adding some serious functionality to StickyStreet.com right now, including a great deal of attention to Freshbooks and a few others. Stay tuned, some features will roll out in a few days, others are in the works! Stay Sticky, Anthony Mark:

Not only would it be “interesting”, it would ROCK! We are adding some serious functionality to StickyStreet.com right now, including a great deal of attention to Freshbooks and a few others.

Stay tuned, some features will roll out in a few days, others are in the works!

Stay Sticky,

Anthony

]]> By: Mark Sears http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-63072 Mark Sears Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:15:19 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/?p=1600#comment-63072 Wow Chris, thanks for sharing. This seems like a bit of hack but I can truly see the reasons for MAKING it work. Wow. We are having such a problem with recurring billing through Paypal. There is just NO management or tie-in to any other system. We get daily emails of what cards were successfully charged and which ones failed. But it isn't tied to real customers and accounts and is interesting but utterly useless in terms of doing much with the info. Having it all within FreshBooks (both on our side and the customer's side) would be great. If there becomes a way to do this with FreshBooks through the whole process, I am signing us up and starting the integration next week. Being able to enter and update credit card information is the key. Let me know. Wow Chris, thanks for sharing. This seems like a bit of hack but I can truly see the reasons for MAKING it work. Wow. We are having such a problem with recurring billing through Paypal. There is just NO management or tie-in to any other system. We get daily emails of what cards were successfully charged and which ones failed. But it isn’t tied to real customers and accounts and is interesting but utterly useless in terms of doing much with the info. Having it all within FreshBooks (both on our side and the customer’s side) would be great.

If there becomes a way to do this with FreshBooks through the whole process, I am signing us up and starting the integration next week. Being able to enter and update credit card information is the key. Let me know.

]]> By: Chris Sciora http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-62971 Chris Sciora Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:55:20 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/?p=1600#comment-62971 Forgot before. One *really* nice thing about this setup is support for promotional codes. 1ShoppingCart allow special codes with every order. That means we can offer special pricing, 6 month trials, whatever by just updating the recurring profile properly. I made a couple screenshots, but the blog doesn't seem to like using URLs??? Forgot before. One *really* nice thing about this setup is support for promotional codes. 1ShoppingCart allow special codes with every order. That means we can offer special pricing, 6 month trials, whatever by just updating the recurring profile properly.

I made a couple screenshots, but the blog doesn’t seem to like using URLs???

]]> By: Chris Sciora http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-62970 Chris Sciora Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:53:55 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/?p=1600#comment-62970 Forgot before. One *really* nice thing about this setup is support for promotional codes. 1ShoppingCart allow special codes with every order. That means we can offer special pricing, 6 month trials, whatever by just updating the recurring profile properly. Here's a couple screenshots (not styled yet). SUSPENDED ACCOUNT http://screencast.com/t/OmQ8Jr6Au PAY INVOICE http://screencast.com/t/dpqcDhrGyB Forgot before. One *really* nice thing about this setup is support for promotional codes. 1ShoppingCart allow special codes with every order. That means we can offer special pricing, 6 month trials, whatever by just updating the recurring profile properly.

Here’s a couple screenshots (not styled yet).

SUSPENDED ACCOUNT
http://screencast.com/t/OmQ8Jr6Au

PAY INVOICE
http://screencast.com/t/dpqcDhrGyB

]]> By: Chris Sciora http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-62965 Chris Sciora Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:42:47 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/?p=1600#comment-62965 We've just rolled out automated billing using Freshbooks for our subscription based web application. The difficult part was figuring out recurring billing since the Freshbooks API doesn't support entering or updating credit card information. Here's how it works: 1. Our signup page uses 1ShoppingCart to gather customer and billing information including the credit card. 2. 1ShoppingCart processes the order, charges the card for the 1st month and sends a confirmation email to us and the client. 3. We parse the confirmation email and pull out the order information. This is used to create a recurring profile in Freshbooks. It also puts one paid invoice into Freshbooks so we can use one system for all revenue reporting. 4. Recurring billing takes place monthly, so customer service has 30 days to manually copy credit card information from 1ShoppingCart into Freshbooks. This is the only step we can't automate. 5. Any plan changes (upgrade, downgrade, cancel) are handled through the web application interface. Behind the scenes, the recurring profile is updated using the Freshbooks API. 6. We check for failed or overdue payments at login and redirect users to a payment screen showing the failed invoice. From there, they can click into Freshbooks to pay the invoice or update credit card information on file. It's pretty much seamless. Note: If the API allowed credit card information, the first few steps wouldn't be necessary. That feature is still high on our wishlist!!! Cheers, Chris We’ve just rolled out automated billing using Freshbooks for our subscription based web application. The difficult part was figuring out recurring billing since the Freshbooks API doesn’t support entering or updating credit card information.

Here’s how it works:
1. Our signup page uses 1ShoppingCart to gather customer and billing information including the credit card.

2. 1ShoppingCart processes the order, charges the card for the 1st month and sends a confirmation email to us and the client.

3. We parse the confirmation email and pull out the order information. This is used to create a recurring profile in Freshbooks. It also puts one paid invoice into Freshbooks so we can use one system for all revenue reporting.

4. Recurring billing takes place monthly, so customer service has 30 days to manually copy credit card information from 1ShoppingCart into Freshbooks. This is the only step we can’t automate.

5. Any plan changes (upgrade, downgrade, cancel) are handled through the web application interface. Behind the scenes, the recurring profile is updated using the Freshbooks API.

6. We check for failed or overdue payments at login and redirect users to a payment screen showing the failed invoice. From there, they can click into Freshbooks to pay the invoice or update credit card information on file. It’s pretty much seamless.

Note: If the API allowed credit card information, the first few steps wouldn’t be necessary. That feature is still high on our wishlist!!!

Cheers,
Chris

]]> By: Mark http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2008/08/15/using-freshbooks-for-your-web-applications-billing/comment-page-1/#comment-62575 Mark Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:14:42 +0000 http://www.freshbooks.com/?p=1600#comment-62575 It would be interesting if StickyStreet integrated with your Freshbooks account to automatically update your StickyStreet customers accounts based on your Freshbook invoices. It would be interesting if StickyStreet integrated with your Freshbooks account to automatically update your StickyStreet customers accounts based on your Freshbook invoices.

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